Chapter 13. Education
| What we’ll cover: |
| The current state of IA education |
| The value of relevant educational credentials to IA employment |
| Universities that offer IA degrees and coursework |
We get lots of email from people who want to become information architects. A technical writer in Australia states her desire to make an ambitious career change toward information architecture and asks, “What are my chances, and what advice do you have for me to increase my skill set?” A library and information science student in Florida explains that he’s committed to becoming an information architect but notes that clear directions are hard to find.
We also talk with many practicing information architects who are searching for ways to improve their expertise. Some want a broad introduction that covers all the bases, while others need advanced skills in a specific area of practice. A few are willing and able to pursue a graduate degree, but most are searching for educational formats that better fit their busy schedules.
And last but not least, we regularly meet with people who have no interest in becoming information architects but want to learn more about information architecture. They may be decision makers or managers with broad responsibilities for web and intranet development; their core expertise may be in marketing, software development, interaction design, or a dozen other areas. Information architecture plays a small but important role in their activities.
In short, all of these people are searching for ways to learn about information architecture, and many are having a hard time finding what they need.
Transition in Education
It’s not surprising to see all this confusion. In such a new discipline, all the paths are “less traveled.” Schools are not sure what to teach, and students don’t know what they need to learn.
In the established professions of medicine, law, and business, a vast array of educational programs has been tested by the evolutionary pressures of the market. Only those programs that add value have survived. The independent forces of supply and demand have moved toward equilibrium.
In our field, both the employment and education markets are still somewhat immature. The hiring of professional information architects by consulting firms and large corporations is a relatively new phenomenon. It’s still unclear how much information architecture design will be done in the coming years and who will do it. The recent economic turbulence in the IT industry has further muddied the waters—and our field is not alone in this chaos. A powerful assortment of forces is driving change in the broader realms of government, economics, communication, entertainment, and education. As individuals, it’s not easy to make sense of the fast-paced world around us, particularly when it comes to our careers. In such a dynamic and competitive environment, we must take responsibility for our own education, and we must all be lifelong learners.
A World of Choice
A wonderful aspect of life in the 21st century is our freedom as consumers to choose what we want. In education, awareness of the rich array of opportunities is a key to success. Never before have there been so many different ways to learn. This is especially true in fields like information architecture that have become early adopters of Internet technologies for communication and collaboration. Resources and methods for learning include:
- Experience
There’s no substitute for the time-tested method of learning by doing. Most of today’s information architects learned their craft on the job. Volunteering at a nonprofit organization or building a personal web site can jump-start beginners.
- Apprenticeship
The fastest and most reliable way to move from novice to expert is to work closely with someone who’s already an expert. Try to find a mentor who’s willing to share his tacit knowledge.
- Formal education
As the field matures, we expect that growing numbers of information architects will seek and find formal education. Ultimately, employers will prefer candidates with a blend of education and experience. We tackle this important topic in the next section.
- Conferences and seminars
Whether you’re searching for a quick introduction or an in-depth study, you’ll find all sorts of courses, workshops, and seminars offered by universities, conferences, and consulting firms. If you have to choose just one, we recommend the annual ASIS&T Summit (http://iasummit.org/).
- Literature
The volume of books and articles relevant to information architecture is staggering. If you look carefully, you can also find research reports, survey results, and sample deliverables.
- Communities
Professional associations and online communities offer great ways to learn about best practices and network with people in the field. Online discussion lists are often a good place to begin.
- News and opinion
News feeds and blogs that cover information architecture and experience design can also be invaluable for keeping up with the latest people and ideas.
While it’s impossible to be comprehensive, we have provided selective pointers to education resources in the Appendix. This guide to essential information architecture resources should get you started on your quest to learn more.
But Do I Need a Degree?
You don’t need a specialized degree to become an information architect, but it helps. As our field matures and becomes more competitive, the emphasis on formal educational credentials grows more pronounced.
At present, only a few schools offer a degree in information architecture, but a much wider collection of universities offers relevant degrees that include coursework in information architecture.
For instance, many information architects have chosen graduate programs in Library and Information Science (LIS) or Human–Computer Interaction (HCI), in which they can knit together a custom curriculum relevant to their future. Some LIS programs have stretched beyond the traditional library, exploring information organization in the online environment, and some HCI programs have escaped the boundaries of the software interface to explore rich content environments and information-seeking behavior.
In fact, you can build a solid foundation for an information architecture career in a variety of programs. It’s important to consider the mix of core courses, the interests of faculty, and the availability of cognate classes. For example, as a student in an LIS program, can you take classes in the university’s business and engineering programs?
As you wind your way through a program, you might consider using our three circles (users, content, and context) to help shape a major and a minor. For example, in an HCI program, you could major in users (understanding how users interact with interfaces) but minor in content (taking some LIS courses in information organization and retrieval). It’s important to have a core area of expertise but also to be well rounded.
The State of the Field
We recently surveyed information architecture educators and practitioners to get a clear snapshot of this fast-changing environment.[1] As Table 13-1 shows, we found that roughly half of practitioners have formal education in a relevant field.
| Do you have any *formal* (e.g., college, university) education in Information Architecture, Human–Computer Interaction, Usability, Library Science or a related field? | |
| Yes | 48.6% |
| No | 48.6% |
| Not Sure | 2.8% |
Among those with a formal education, roughly 70 percent hold a Master’s degree, and as Table 13-2 shows, library science clearly stands out.
| What was your major field of study? (if you responded “Yes” above) | |
| Library Science | 40.3% |
| Human–Computer Interaction | 12.3% |
| Information Management | 8.4% |
| Information Architecture | 4.5% |
| Human Factors | 3.9% |
| Information Science | 3.9% |
| Usability | 3.2% |
| Interaction Design | 2.6% |
| Technical Communication | 2.6% |
| Cognitive Psychology | 1.3% |
| Computer Engineering | 1.3% |
| Design | 1.3% |
| Information Systems | 1.3% |
| Multimedia Design | 1.3% |
| Software Development | 1.3% |
| Communications Design | 0.6% |
| Computer-Based Instructional Design | 0.6% |
| Computer Science | 0.6% |
| Ergonomics | 0.6% |
| Industrial Design | 0.6% |
| Interactive Multimedia | 0.6% |
| Learning Design and Technology | 0.6% |
| Library Science and Human Factors | 0.6% |
| User-Centered Design | 0.6% |
| Visual Communication | 0.6% |
And, among those practitioners with hiring responsibilities, roughly 50 percent responded that when making a hiring decision, they consider formal education in a related field to be either valuable or extremely valuable.
Fortunately, the volume and diversity of programs that offer information architecture coursework is increasing to meet demand. Schools that offer information architecture degrees include:
University of Baltimore, Master of Science in Interaction Design and Information Architecture
Illinois Institute of Technology, Master of Science in Information Architecture
Kent State University, Master of Science in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management
And, schools that offer substantive information architecture coursework include:
University of California—Berkeley, School of Information
Carnegie Mellon, School of Design
University of Michigan, School of Information
University of Texas, School of Information
University of Washington, Information School
In summary, the field of information architecture is in transition. After more than a decade, the field is no longer in its infancy, but there’s still plenty of room to grow. Whatever your goals and educational credentials, there are two things you can count on as you look ahead. First, change will be rapid and relentless. Second, time and attention will be limited. So you can never learn everything, but your education is an ongoing process. Choose carefully and learn to love learning.